The men's series has brought England fans only despair, misery and, cruellest of all, false hope but, as things come to an end in Sydney, it is the turn of the women to take up the Ashes fight on the other side of Australia. England's women will begin their attempt to retain the urn they gained in last summer's multi-format contest in the first and only Test in Perth on Friday. The series will again consist of a Test, three ODIs and three T20s, with six points for a victory in the four-day match and two in the limited overs games.

Last summer, following a draw in the Test at Wormsley, England lost the first ODI before winning the rest of the games and reclaiming the Ashes. Winning away from home, however, is a very different challenge, not least because the pace and barren heat of Perth's Waca is a long way from the quintessentially English backdrop of last year's Test.

Perth, though, does promise to offer something for each side. "The bowlers are really looking forward to the challenge," says Paul Shaw, head of England women's performance. "We're talking to each of the bowlers, particularly the quicks, about how they could bowl to get the best out of the pitch.

"People will probably be expecting a lot of short stuff and I'm sure there'll be some at Perth but you also have to keep the batsmen guessing to take wickets. The girls are champing at the bit. They can't wait to get on to the pitch.

"At Wormsley it was slow and hard work for both sets of seamers. Perth will be bouncier and quicker, which will benefit both the batsmen and bowlers – if you get in at Perth, you can score and score quickly."

England's men spent much of the summer struggling to deal with the pace and chin music composed by Mitchell Johnson. To prepare for a similar situation the women, before flying to Perth, spent a month at Loughborough where they faced machines that replicated the Australian bowlers in ever-increasing temperatures.

Australia, meanwhile, have unearthed a gem of their own in Holly Ferling. Ferling rose to prominence after taking four wickets, including a hat-trick, in her first game of men's cricket aged 15. She formed a formidable bowling partnership with Ellyse Perry at Wormsley, where both generated pace and bounce that troubled several batsmen, most notably Sarah Taylor. Not that Ferling has yet mastered every aspect of the game like Johnson, or indeed, Brunt.

"I wish I could sledge!" the 18-year-old says. "I'm not witty enough to sledge, if I opened my mouth, whatever I just did would be undone. Mitchell Johnson's got the words and the moustache – I've got my ribbons and my smile! But watching him and seeing his aggression is really inspiring.

"I'm not going to bowl bouncers every ball but to take that ruthlessness and aggression into each match from ball one, particularly in the Test, is crucial."

As Shaw points out, the lifeless nature of the Wormsley pitch meant that neither side were willing to risk six points, so the game headed to a draw early on the fourth day. That is unlikely to be the case in Perth. "If you think about next summer and the Ashes of the future in England, the goal is to play on really good county grounds that are more likely to have truer, bouncier wickets in England," says Shaw. "Pitches like the ones at Perth are ones we'd like to see more of.

"There are not many teams who have won the Ashes in Australia. To come to Australia and have the chance to beat them in their own back yard is a wonderful opportunity. We're geared up and ready to do that."

Ferling, too, is relishing the prospect of playing at the Waca. "I played there a few years ago for my state side and took a wicket with my first ball," she says. "When I first started I was expecting a wicket every ball. What I've learnt since then is how patient you have to be playing a Test match."